Fashion Inspiration Cary Grant

Icons From the Past: Dressing Like Cary Grant

It should come as no surprise that Cary Grant has made his way into the Icons from the Past series. Just a single mention of Grant’s name brings to mind an age when men truly cared about how they looked before stepping out in to the world. During his time in the Hollywood limelight, Cary Grant was viewed by just about everyone in the industry as being the epitome of American fashion and style. While men’s fashion has surely changed in many ways since the days in which Cary Grant was around, his style still matters and can easily be applied to today’s world. The followings are just a few tips for those who are interested in dressing like Cary Grant, all of which can help you to reach your fashion goals.

Go With an Ascot
When it comes to analyzing Cary Grant’s style, perhaps most important to understand is that he tended to dress in a rather formal manner more often than not. If Grant was known for any element of his ensembles, it was the ascot. Grant wore an ascot even when embracing casual dress, and you’ll be hard-pressed to get his look without embracing this item yourself. While you don’t want to start making ascots part of your daily attire, there are certain situations (a night on the town, for example) in which wearing an ascot can be very effective. Choose those which feature a plaid or polka dot pattern, sticking to subtle earth-tones when it comes to choosing colors.

The Tuxedo is Your Friend
A lot of men feel as if they don’t have any need to own a tuxedo. After all, it’s not uncommon for people to rent tuxedos on an as-needed basis simply because they only plan on wearing them once or twice a year. The fact is, however, owning a tuxedo can be very worthwhile, and is always a wise idea for the fashionable man. Cary Grant perfectly exemplified how effective a tuxedo can be when worn correctly, and sported this look on a fairly regular basis. Believe it or not, a decent tuxedo can actually be purchased for less than $200 if you play your cards right; the more time you put into searching for the right tux for you, the better your chances of getting it for a song. For more tuxedo fashion tips please read our tutorial on Black Tie Dress.

Suit and Tie As Everyday Wear
For men who don’t work in a formal work environment, the idea of wearing a suit and tie on a daily basis may seem a bit off-center. That said, Cary Grant was very much an advocate of this look, and truly made it work for him just about every time he threw it on. Choose a slim-cut suit jacket, focusing more on fit than color/pattern (neutral solids work best). The pants that you choose should be equally slim. While Grant quite often wore single-pleated pants, the modern man will do best with flat-front trousers. An extra trick specific to Grant’s style: consider wearing the sleeves of your jacket high, which will expose just under an inch of white cuff for contrast (work with a tailor for best results).

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